


Second Chances

by Hils



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-06-02
Updated: 2007-06-02
Packaged: 2018-10-17 08:23:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10590159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hils/pseuds/Hils
Summary: James Norrington contemplates his place in the world. Jack helps. Spoilers for AWE





	

“I made some bad decisions in my life, Jack,” Norrington said softly as his eyes fixed on the setting sun. “I’ve no one to blame but myself for what happened.”

Jack said nothing, a rare occurrence for him. Instead he stood quietly at James’s side and they watched the sunset together. By rights they should both still be dead, trapped forever in The Locker until fate saw fit to allow them to pass on. Yet they here they were, both alive thanks to Will and Elizabeth. They had a second chance.

“My career was so important to me,” James continued. “I placed it above everything else, betraying all those I cared about so I could claw some semblance of my old life back. I didn’t realise how little it meant until my final few minutes.”

Jack shrugged, speaking at last. “An’ I suppose you think standing around moping is going to make it right, eh?”

“I have no right to be here!” James cried, eyes glistening in the deep orange light that flooded the pier. “There are far more deserving souls than me that could have been brought back. The only reason I’m here is because Captain Turner wanted to thank me for saving Elizabeth. I’d have done anything for her, if it had been anyone else I’m not so sure.”

“You followed your heart. Nothing wrong with that, mate.”

James sighed. “I have no place in this world, Jack. What am I supposed to do?”

“Well, the way I see it is you can either spend the rest of your newly bestowed life thinking on the things you did wrong with your old one, or you can have a shot at living. Since Mr Gibbs has decided life in Tortuga with a couple of wenches is preferable to live on the high seas, I find myself in need of a first mate. Fancy it?”

James looked at Jack through narrowed eyes. “You and me? Alone on a ship together?”

Jack feigned offence. “There was a time when that wasn’t such a repulsive notion to you.”

James felt his face flush red as his mind was barraged with images of the nights he and Jack had shared a bed, how he’d had to bite down hard on a pillow to prevent his screams of pleasure from alerting the other men to his presence.

To this day he wasn’t sure how he’d gone from loathing all pirates to having one as a lover. At the time he’d blamed it on depression, drunkenness and self-loathing at being reduced to swabbing decks on Jack’s ship. But he found, as time passed, that there was so much more to the pirate than he’d ever imagined. The Jack Sparrow the world saw was only a fraction of the man James had come to love.

That was before he’d betrayed him of course.

“Do we have an accord?” Jack asked, extending his hand to James.

James smiled and took Jack’s hand in his own, pulling him forward for a gentle kiss. “Thank you, Jack,” he whispered when they parted, “for not giving up on me.”

Jack grinned. “No pirate is complete without his mate, Jamie. Now, let’s go and get my ship back.”

The End.


End file.
